Growing Up Wild
by Triscribe
Summary: When Number Four Privet Drive burns to the ground, three year old Harry manages to apparate himself to safety - and as a result, Hagrid and Minerva decide to keep him safe on the Hogwarts grounds from then on, right under Dumbledore's nose.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hagrid had just banked the fire and gone to bed a few minutes before something went _thump_ in the middle of the room. Startled back to full awareness, the man sat up, peering as well as he could into the darkness.

"H'lo?" He rumbled. "Someone there?"

His only answer was a small intake of breath. Concerned, Hagrid grasped his umbrella from where it sat by the bed, aimed it over at his fireplace and relit the flames. The sudden increase of light blinded him for half a moment, but then his eyes adjusted.

And there, sitting innocently on his worn-out rug, was a small child.

"Now where'd you come from, little 'un?" Setting his umbrella-wand aside, Hagrid moved to kneel in front of the toddler. Big green eyes blinked up at him through a mop of black hair, which almost but did not quite fully hide a lightning bolt scar. "Harry?!"

Harry Potter grinned, forcing himself up onto his bare feet in order to move forward and hug Hagrid's leg. Upon closer inspection, the man could see that he was wearing only a large, grimy shirt that fell to the tot's knees, and that he was covered over with a layer of soot. He was also far too skinny for a child of three and a half.

Now, Hagrid couldn't claim a great deal of experience when it came to children not yet of an age to attend Hogwarts, but he _did_ know a great deal about raising magical critters. Harry's small size, lack of meat on his bones, overall pallor and the tiny, dried bloodstains on his fingers didn't sit well with the man. Knowing that Headmaster Dumbledore was still on a trip overseas for the rest of the weekend, he decided to call in the next best person to deal with the situation.

Hagrid set Harry onto his massive bed, before moving over to the fireplace and throwing in a small bit of Floo powder.

"Pr'fessor McGonagall? I've got a bit of a problem, I think ye ought t' see..."

-Wild-

"Simply disgraceful," Minerva muttered, pacing angrily back and forth. Hagrid sat in a chair with Harry on his lap, both of them watching the furious witch with wide eyes. "I told Albus no good would come of us leaving him there, but did he listen? No, of course not! Albus Dumbledore knows best, and don't anyone dare disagree..."

"Pr'fessor," Hagrid said helplessly, causing the woman to slow down a tad.

"I'm sorry, Rubeus, I know how highly you respect the man, and normally I'm one of his staunchest supporters as well. But this! Little Harry left with muggles who've clearly hardly fed him, allowed the boy to injure himself, and apparently wind up in enough danger that the boy felt scared enough to accidentally apparate himself all the way from a house in Surrey to your hut here in Scotland!" Minerva fumed. "First thing in the morning, I'm going over there to find out what in Merlin's name happened."

-Wild-

Part of what happened, it seemed, was that Number Four Privet Drive had been burned to the ground.

Minerva went all around the place in her animagus form, inspecting the rubble. From what she could tell, a fire started in the lower section of the house had spread out of control, weakening the support beams and causing the upper floor to collapse in on itself. Very little had been left intact.

The witch also traversed the street a bit, catching snippets of conversation from various muggles departing for work:

"Oh, isn't it just terrible what happened at Number Four last night?"

"I agree, such a tragedy, though we're lucky the firemen were able to keep the blaze from spreading."

"The Dursleys are so lucky they all made it out unharmed."

When she heard that last statement, Minerva grew incensed. Evidently, Petunia and her family had not seen fit to tell anyone that her nephew did _not_ in fact make it out of the burning home - not out into the neighborhood alongside them, at any rate. Guessing that Harry must have been trapped by the flames, and subsequently terrified enough to apparate himself to safety, Minerva then moved on to determine what the Dursley family were up to after their narrow escape.

And for that, she paid a visit to Arabella Figg.

The squib woman was given quite a shock when one of the cats which slipped into her house at feeding time suddenly morphed into Minerva McGonagall, but got over it soon enough.

"You know about what happened, then?" She asked wearily, moving to the kitchen to start a pot of tea. Minerva followed, barely keeping her annoyance under wraps.

"I've gained an idea, at the very least. Do you know what his relations are doing now, any details of what they said last night?"

"Vernon Dursley and his family escaped a terrible inferno. Myself and quite a few others heard him inform the Fire Brigade that it was only the three of them. They were all taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, and beyond that I have no idea."

"Hmph."

"Minerva, I'm so sorry about Harry- the thought of that poor little boy dying in the flames-"

"Harry Potter is alive and well, Arabella. Through an amazing stroke of luck, he apparated himself away from the fire and to a place of safety."

The other woman gaped at her. "R-really? He's alright, then?"

"Uninjured from the flames, at any rate, though I cannot say he is in tip top condition." Minerva's frown deepened when Arabella sighed.

"I've written Albus more times than I can count, Professor, warning him about how the Dursleys were treating Harry. They've left him over here a few times, when they wanted a family trip or vacation, and I always get so worried when I see how skinny and quiet he is."

"Hmph. And what has Albus done about it?"

"Nothing, so far as I could tell. Told me not to worry, that everything would be fine."

With her ire towards the Headmaster growing, Minerva decided then and there that _she_ would set about changing things. "Arabella. I don't want you to tell Albus about any of this."

She was met by a shocked expression. "He doesn't already know?"

"He's been out of the country for the past two days, and won't be returning until tomorrow. I'll check his office to see what, if any, ward warnings he receives from the Dursley residence, and if need be reset them to a dormant state. You are to carry on as you have been, as though Harry is living with his relatives in the same sorry way as usual."

"And what about Harry himself?"

"Clearly, being hidden in the muggle world was not healthy for him in the slightest. From now on, he's going to stay at Hogwarts, where I and trusted others can ensure he grows up safe and healthy."

"You're going to do that - _without_ Albus knowing?"

"To the best of my ability."

 _A/N: IMPORTANT NOTICE_

 _This story is part of my HP Round Table Project. Every Thursday, I'm updating a different onf of seven Harry Potter AUs, so that over the course of seven weeks they all get a new chapter (since I have a history of losing inspiration and letting stuff sit stagnant for months at a time). After the first seven week period, I start over, but the order in which these stories are updated changes depending on what was the most popular during the previous chunk of time._

 _So, if you really like this or one of the others, be sure to let me know!_

 _-Triscribe_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Aragog," Hagrid said cheerfully. "This is me new ward, Harry Potter." Sitting up on the groundskeeper's shoulder, Harry peered through the gloom at the huge spider and grinned.

"Big!" He pronounced.

"Tha's right, Harry, Aragog's the biggest acromantula in the Forbidden Forest."

The massive spider leaned out from the darkness, studying both Hagrid and the tiny child with him. Chittering softly, Aragog extended a long leg to brush against first the man's wild mane of hair and then Harry's tiny mop.

"Why have you brought him here, my friend?" The spider asked.

"Just t' intr'duce ya. An', I s'pose, t' ask that if you or any o' the others come 'cross Harry in the Forest alone, keep him safe 'til I come find him. Please?"

Reluctantly, Aragog agreed.

-Wild-

Pomona was the first person Minerva told about Harry, but only took her to see him after making sure the other woman understood the gravity of the situation. The Herbology teach spent an entire hour cooing over the boy, doing her best to get him to open up and respond to questions. By the time she left, Pomona had gotten a few words from him, which was better than Minerva's progress.

Poppy was next, so that she could give Harry a full check up, and prescribe what foods would be best for him. The Mediwitch was just as incensed over the child's treatment at the hands of his relatives that Minerva had been, and promised full-heartedly to help sustain the secret.

On the evening before Dumbledore's expected return, the three witches worked together to establish a cloaking ward over Hagrid's hut and a fair amount of the grounds around it, which would hide only Harry from view. This way, they wouldn't have to worry about the Headmaster looking out a window and catching sight of the boy. In addition to the cloak, Minerva added a perimeter alarm set to recognize if either Albus or Harry crossed it, which would then inform both her and Hagrid.

As prepared as they could be, the staff all held their breath when the Headmaster arrived back... and left out a collective sigh of relief as, by the end of the day, Dumbledore had yet to approach any of them about something being wrong at Privet Drive.

Minerva just thanked the stars that she'd been able to get into the man's office while he was gone, and deactivate the three alarms that had been going off.

-Wild-

"It is not wise of you to do this, Hagrid." Firenze told him outright. "There are many things in this forest which would happily consume the child should he wander into their domains alone."

"I'm 'ware of that, which is why I'm goin' 'round introducin' him t' the lot of you. So, just in case he does git 'way from me sometime, I know there's folk out here who'll keep him safe 'til I come t' get the lad."

"Hmph."

-Wild-

Filius had squeaked when Minerva told him, a reaction that the small man became greatly flustered by. Minerva said nothing, simply explained the situation and then took him to visit Harry. The Charms professor also had a great deal many more protections he was able to add to those she and the other witches already put up, further ensuring Harry's continued safety and secrecy.

Over the following week, Minerva quietly informed the rest of the staff of the school's new resident, exacting promises from them all not to reveal the boy to Dumbledore. The few who were concerned over this condition lost their doubts upon meeting young Harry, and getting the visual proof that he had not been well-cared for. Poppy had the boy on a special diet of wholesome food and potions to help him regain lost ground in the growth department, but it was a long-term effort.

Satisfied that she'd united the majority of the professors, Minerva finally steeled herself to tell the final member of their number:

A certain, ill-mannered Potions Master.

-Wild-

Hagrid had just gotten back from taking Harry to meet the unicorns when Professor McGonagall arrived at his hut, with Severus Snape right behind her. The man seemed even more bad-tempered than normal, practically hissing with displeasure as he entered the building.

Then Harry looked up at him, giggled once, and Snape's expression turned carefully blank.

It wasn't long before the Potions Professor reluctantly agreed to also help with keeping Harry out of trouble. In fact, after that day, he and Flitwick tied with how often they came down to help Hagrid look after the boy, beaten out only by McGonagall and Sprout, who each seemed to take to the little one as if he were their own grandson to spoil.

-Wild-

All things considered, the adults should have taken it to be rather amazing how long it took a student to discover the small child living with Hagrid. Fortunately, Bill Weasley was a lad who knew how to keep a secret, and swore to first the groundskeeper, then his Head of House, and also the Potions Professor not to spread the word around.

He did, however, inform his brother Charlie a few years later, when the younger boy was old enough to handle the responsibility of guarding such an important piece of information. The other Weasley wasn't quite as willing to let things lie where they were, however, and decided at one point to go down at meet little Harry with his friend Nymphadora Tonks in tow.

"I can't believe Dumbledore's had the Boy Who Lived living at Hogwarts this whole time!" The Metamorphmagus grinned, watching as the seven year old ran about playing with Fang. Hagrid coughed, and went to explain as he served the pair of fourth years some more tea.

"Er, well, y'see... Th' Headmaster don't exactly know tha' little Harry's been here."

Charlie and Tonks blinked up at him. "What?" They asked in the same startled tone.

"Th' short of it is, Dumbledore had us leave him with these muggles relatives of his as a baby. But a couple years later, Harry apparated himself here, an' it turns out the house he'd been in had gone and caught fire, burned out all the way to the ground. Mrs. Figg, a squib who'd been watching the place fer us, told P'rfessor McGonagall when she asked tha' th' muggles hadn't told nobody 'bout Harry, not even the Fire Brigade folk when they asked if anyone else needed savin' from the blaze."

"That's terrible!"

"Uh-huh, an' since Dumbledore was th' one to insist on Harry bein' there in the firs' place, we decided not t' let him know 'bout the boy's change in residency."

"So... Then who _does_ know he's here?"

"Well, th' Heads of House all found out firs', then th' other p'rfessors, and Filch, an' quite a few of th' ghosts now. Also a few students over the years, 'cludin' you two, Mrs. Figg 'course, most intelligent types in the Forest, an' several werewolves too."

Tonks gaped at him as Charlie let out a low whistle.

"Werewolves?"

And oh, wasn't that a wonderful day to remember. Trisha and Elliott Magee, whom Hagrid had helped look after when they were little tykes quite a few decades before, came to see him for a visit with their respective spouses, kids and grandchildren in tow. Harry had immediately hit it off with the youngest of the Magees, and enjoyed himself immensely playing with them that sunny afternoon. It was Trisha, though, who tipped Hagrid off to something he should have thought of in the first place.

"Your pup's got protection, Rubeus." She informed him in her usual blunt manner. "Someone of our kind's claimed him as a pack member. It's old and faint, hasn't been renewed in a few years I'd say, but definitely there."

"Blimey, I wonder who- oh!" That very night, Hagrid penned a letter to Remus Lupin, asking him to come for a visit as soon as he could. He'd not kept in touch with the man since their Order days, but considering how close he'd been to the Potters, it should have been a piece of correspondence made out much sooner.

And so, it was indeed quite a few werewolves that knew of Harry's relocation by the time Hagrid was talking to Charlie and Tonks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Harry," Hagrid said with a grin. "Meet Fluffy!" Peeking into the basket his guardian was holding out, the nine year old gasped as he saw the little bundle of grey fuzz, topped with three tiny heads.

"Wow!" He breathed. "A real Cerberus! D'we get t' raise him, Uncle Haggy?"

"Tha's right! Seems somethin's gonna be moved inta th' castle in a couple years, an' Pr'fessor Dumbledore wants some top notch security fer it. So, he asked me ta git us a good watchdog fer th' job."

"Wicked!"

"Now, when Fluffy here gits a bit bigger, we're gonna have t' start trainin' him ta git used t' bein' in small spaces all th' time, but fer now yer 'llowed t' take him out fer some fresh air, alright?"

"Right!"

The very next day, Harry brought the tiny Cerberus outside to introduce him to some of the other critters that were looked after by the groundskeeper. Fang also took up a position beside them the entire time, as he seemed to think it was his obligation to look after both the three-headed newcomer and his human puppy. As it was still a couple weeks before the new school year started, their only disturbance came in the form of Professor McGonagall coming down from the castle for a short visit.

"I'm terribly busy this time of year, as you know," she said, watching with a wary eye as Harry played with the Cerberus in his lap. "But I wanted to come check on you, Harry love, and see you've thought anymore about the matter I mentioned last week."

Harry bit his lip, and didn't look the woman in the eye. "'Bout which House I want t' be in."

"That's right. If you haven't, I don't mind, but you will be starting classes in two years, and I want to make sure you're considering it ahead of time."

Honestly, the boy was surprised it had taken Professor McGonagall so long to bring the matter up with him. Professor Sprout had mentioned it several times, and Professor Flitwick a few as well. Others on the teaching staff would drop hints into conversation when they came for a visit, too - all except Professor Snape, which Harry thought was a bit odd.

"I'll be thinkin' about it, Pr'fessor, I promise."

"Thank you, laddie. Now, what did you say the wee beast's name is again? I don't quite think I heard you correctly the first time..."

-Wild-

"Uncle Haggy?" Pausing in his preparations for dinner, Hagrid looked over to where Harry was sitting on his little bunk, gazing at one of his books thoughtfully. "What house d'you think I should be in?"

Puffing out his cheeks with a big exhale, the man set down his chopping knife and went to sit in front of the boy. "Well, Harry, that's a bit of a tough question, I'd say. Got any thoughts 'bout it yet in tha' big head of yers?"

"Well... I don' think Pr'fessor Snape would like it if I were in Slytherin, he's always callin' me a 'wild child'. An' Pr'fessor Flitwick, well, he might like it, but he expects his students t' be a lot more inta book-learnin' than I am." Harry's frown deepened. "Then there's Pr'fessors McGonagall and Sprout, and I know they both like me, and both of 'em would feel real awful if I _wasn't_ in their House. So where should I go?"

"Aw, little 'un, yer goin' about this the wrong way. I know y'like pleasin' the Pr'fessors, but you should be thinkin' about where _you_ want to be, not where others want ya. D'you like trickin' others into doin' what you want?"

Taken by surprise by the sudden change of subject, Harry shook his head.

"What 'bout knowin' how t' do something when no one else does?"

"I guess so... Depends on what th' thing is, though."

"Well then, how 'bout facin' down a rampagin' dragon?"

Harry's eyes widened comically. "That's a stupid thing t' do! You don't _face down_ an unhappy dragon, you try _calmin'_ it down, or else git out th' way!"

"Yeah, that's right, good of ya t' remember it. And what 'bout standin' firm by a friend o' yers, trustin' 'em even when everybody else turns their back?"

"'Course I'd stand by 'em."

"Good. Then y' already know 'nuff 'bout yerself for the decision 'bout yer House t' be decided."

"I do?"

"Mm-hm." Hagrid got back to his feet and went back across the hut to finish making dinner. Harry stared after him, more perplexed than when the conversation started.

-Wild-

When the new term started, Hagrid had to warn Harry to be careful not to let any of his friends know about Fluffy, something that was much easier said than done. Fortunately, there was a new distraction when Charlie came down for his usual visit.

Or rather, _two_ new distractions.

"Harry, these are my brothers, Fred and George."

-Wild-

When Remus came for his Christmas visit, Harry regaled him with all sorts of stories about the mischief the Weasley twins had gotten into, some of which the nine year old got to help with.

"They even found yer map, Moony!" Surprised, the former Marauder had to let loose a chuckle as he considered just how crafty these twins had to be if the Map had been willing to reveal its secrets to them.

"They sound brilliant, Harry. How many points have they lost for Gryffindor so far?"

"More th'n three hundred, just this term! Pr'fessor McGonagall says that's a record since you 'n Dad were students!"

"Mm, I take it they're driving her up the wall then, are they?"

"Yeah, but I think she likes 'em anyway, 'cause she knows they come an' visit me every week."

"Ah."

 _A/N: Anybody want to wish me luck on the thousand mile drive I'm going to embark on this afternoon? Going home for Thanksgiving, after all. And next Thursday, in honor of the holiday, I plan to update all seven of my Harry Potter Round Table stories at once, which I hope you lovely readers will enjoy!_

 _-Triscribe_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Yer really startin' to get big, boy!" Harry giggled as a tongue almost as long as he was tall swiped across his face, "Alright, Fluffy, down now." Obediently, all three heads of the Cerberus drew back, watching expectantly as their boy set down his sack and reached inside. For the next several minutes, Harry pulled out handfuls of roasted steaks and tossed them into the air for Fluffy to snap up. While the magical canine was perfectly capable of consuming raw meat of any sort, the ten year old had discovered through trial and error that he was quite partial to beef cooked medium rare.

And, since this was the last meal Fluffy would be getting from Harry inside his cave, the boy figured his friend deserved to get his favorite.

"That's all, boy," he said once the meat was gone. Fluffy's center head let out a short whine as if to ask _Are you sure,_ nosing at the empty sack as he did so. "Yes, I'm sure, ya greedy bugger."

Fondly, Harry made sure to give the Cerberus an extra-long belly rub as well as pat all three of his noses before leaving. "Now, you be good when they move ya inta th' school, Fluffy, an' don't go eatin' any students even if they _do_ sneak inta yer new cave." With that, the boy headed out, emerging into the Forbidden Forest about ten yards off from the boundary with Hogwarts' grounds. As they were still a good month off from the start of the school year, he didn't have to check for prying eyes before traversing the boundary and heading back to his home.

Harry had heard many times over the years the story about his relatives and their muggle house fire, but he honestly couldn't remember them after so long spent living with his Uncle Hagrid. The past was the past, and he had a much brighter future to look forward to anyway.

After depositing Fluffy's empty meat sack into a bin where they kept all the nastier things that needed washing, Harry bounded up the front step and into the hut. Hagrid looked up from something he'd just covered over with a sheet.

"Harry! Yer back sooner 'n I expected," the large man said, looking from his charge to the sheet and back again.

"What's in there, Uncle?"

"Ahh... Ye wouldn't b'lieve me if I said 'nothing', would ya?"

Harry shook his head, and Hagrid sighed before pulling the sheet back off the cage. The boy stepped forward with a gasp, intently studying the absolutely gorgeous snowy owl perched within. "Wow!"

"Ain't she a beauty?"

"You bet yer beard she is! Where'd ye get her? Who's she belong to? What's her name?" The questions would have continued to pour out had Hagrid not coughed awkwardly.

"Well... I picked her up on meh trip t' Diagon Alley this mornin', and even though yer birthday ain't fer another few days, as of now she b'elongs t' you, lad."

It took a moment for that to sink in. Once it had, Harry plowed headlong into Hagrid for a hug, which the man happily reciprocated. Then his charge was back beside the cage, opening it up in order to offer his fingers to the owl for inspection. As soon as she hooted approvingly, he started to stroke the downy breast feathers, murmuring in a low voice how pretty she was while Hagrid looked on with pride.

For the rest of the afternoon, Harry wouldn't be parted from his new familiar, keeping her close by or even on his shoulder as he did his chores and poured through some of his favorite books to try and find a suitable name. Failing, he shifted to searching in the tomes he wasn't as fond of but which the professors had suggested her read over the years. It wasn't until evening that the boy stumbled across something suitable.

"What do you think of 'Hedwig'?"

Startled, Hagrid looked up from where he was preparing a hearty stew for their supper. "Hm?"

"For her name," Harry explained, holding up a treat for the owl to pluck from his fingertips. "She'd fit right in with us then: Hagrid, Harry and Hedwig."

"Sounds good t' me, lad." The two shot each other matching grins and continued to get ready for their evening meal, while the newly named owl settled more happily on her perch.

-Wild-

"How was your trip to th' Americas, Pr'fessor?"

"Most intriguing, my boy," Quirrel said, shooting the rock cake in his hand a suspicious look even as he smiled at Harry's question. "I have to say, I'm rather glad you persuaded me to change my plans before I left for my sabbatical."

The boy ducked his head, blushing. "I wouldn't say I did any persuadin', Pr'fessor, just pointed out there's all sorts of barely-known things down there to study. More than what's close t' home, at any rate..."

"Well, regardless, you did me a great favor, and I'm quite looking forward to starting my classes this year."

"An' I'm lookin' forward t' bein' in 'em!"

Quirrel chuckled, ruffling the dark hair with one hand even as he slipped the rock cake under the table with the other, where Fang quite happily took it in his jaws. After a year away from the school to brush up on his knowledge about assorted Dark beings, spells, and defenses against them, the man's second stop after checking in with the Headmaster had been to come down for a chat with his favorite not-quite-student.

While most of his students in Muggle Studies were either muggleborns looking for an easy O or magical-raised children with only vague interest in the mundane world, Harry had proven himself to be quite eager in absorbing anything Quirrel thought to share with him. Several of the Hogwarts staff had made it a point over the years to make sure the lad received something of a proper basic education before officially starting at the school, himself among them. While Bathsheda Babbling handled his letters and Septima Vector covered his numbers, Quirinius Quirrel introduced Harry to the intertwined histories of both the magical and mundane worlds. Modern Muggles had a tendency to confuse him almost as much as the average wizard, but he'd long studied the days when they were no more technologically advanced than magical folk. Quirrel was quite proud of the fact he'd taught young Harry more about the great kingdoms of old than any other wizard his age - and not just the European countries, either. He was most knowledgeable about them, but also knew a fair amount about African and Asiatic histories, and now new information gleaned from his trip to North and South America.

"Oh! Before I forget, Harry, I brought back someone I'd like you to meet." Getting up from the table, Quirrel stepped outside for a moment, returning with a large wooden box in his hands. Curious, the boy got up onto his knees on the bench in order to see inside as soon as the box was set down before him.

He was quite startled when a serpent with wings and a crest of brightly colored feathers rose from where it had been coiled up within.

"This is Tzental," Quirrel explained, grinning as wide as he could. "She's a Jungle Amphithire - related to dragons, but not quite the same. They're highly intelligent creatures, held in similar regard over there to how we think of owls, but with a much greater religious significance to the natives, and the oldest ones live around five or six centuries!"

Just as he expected, the instant he finished explaining, Harry spoke in parseltongue to introduce himself to the amphithire - who responded, just as Quirrel had been hoping.

All of a sudden, the boy laughed at whatever Tzental said. "She's not very happy 'bout th' colder climate, but doesn't mind as long as she gets t' learn a lot."

"Well, would you please tell her I intend to keep out shared quarters as warm as possible? And also convey my gratitude at her willingness to make the journey back with me."

"Sure thing, Pr'fessor."

"Afterward, perhaps the three of us could begin comparing what we know of the colonization of the rainforest? I'd love to get a perspective that's neither magical nor mundane."

Harry nodded enthusiastically, and after translating the words for Tzental, she looked to be as excited as was possible for a serpent. "I think we'd _all_ like that, Pr'fessor Quirrel."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I can't wait t' see Fred and George again," Harry chirped, practically bouncing around the hut in his excitement. "They said they've got another brother startin' school this year an' promised they'd introduce us, an' Rachel said the same thing 'bout _her_ little brother, an' it's gonna be so amazin' seein' all the pr'fessors actually _in_ their _classrooms,_ an' I won't have to hide anymore or _anythin'-!"_

"Yer more stirred up than a hippogriff on nethernip," Hagrid said fondly, interrupting his ward. Harry simply grinned in response, finally collapsing onto his little bed with a final bounce.

"I'm just so ex-CITED Uncle!"

"I never would've guessed."

It was the night before school started, and the boy could hardly wait until Professor Sinistra arrived the next morning to apparate him down to King's Cross Station in London. He'd already gotten to see Diagon Alley a few weeks before, when Hagrid took him to buy school supplies and see his Gringotts vault for the first time ever. (Ironically, they'd been able to do so without any precautions concerning disguises needed, since the Headmaster had called upon Hagrid the previous day in order to ask him to seek out Harry and introduce him to the Wizarding World. When the news of _that_ conversation spread through the school staff, many of them were hard-pressed to hold back their snickers.) All that was left, after organizing his trunk and looking over the first few chapters of all his textbooks, was to continue to wonder what House he'd be placed into. Most of the professors all found ways to drop last minute hints about how they thought he'd do best in one or the other, but Hagrid refused to share anymore advice and Harry hadn't made up his mind as to which he himself wanted to be in.

Hedwig hooted at him from her perch, and the boy would've sworn it sounded just like a reprimand to calm down. The snowy owl and Tzental had become good friends since Professor Quirrell arrived back at Hogwarts, apparently bonding over how fond they both were of Harry. He often compared them to Professors McGonagall and Sprout for that very reason.

"Supper's ready, lad! An' I asked th' house elves if they'd send over a treacle tart fer dessert, too."

"Yum!"

-Wild-

"Any sign of him yet, Forge?"

"'Fraid not, Gred."

"Well, we'll just have-"

"-to keep looking, I quite agree."

"I still can't believe you two have a friend you've been hiding from me for two years now," Lee muttered as he trailed after the Weasley twins.

"Had to keep him hidden from everybody, Jordan old boy!"

"We promised our brother Charlie after all, since anyone who meets this kid has to keep their knowledge about him-"

"An absolute secret!" The two whisper-yelled this final pronouncement, causing Lee to shake his head and grin.

"Barmy, the both you. Well, since he's clearly not a secret anymore, who is it?"

One of the twins opened his mouth to reply, right as the other one opened yet another compartment and interrupted. "Ha! Found you!"

"Oh, what do you clotpoles want?" Peeking into the compartment himself, Lee blinked as he spotted a couple of unsorted first year boys, along with a muggleborn Hufflepuff from fourth.

"My dear Miss Malone! Why, you sound-"

"-utterly uninterested in seeing us!"

One of the boys giggled at them, while the other looked wary, and Rachel Malone simply rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me - you both already know Hogwarts' resident secret, don't you?"

"I do believe you mean-"

"-the secret resident of Hogwarts!"

"Of course we know him!"

"Doing alright today, Harry?"

"It's been okay," the boy wearing glasses said, still grinning at the twins. "Got here early and had to wait a while before anyone else showed up, but aside from that I've been having fun."

Fred and George both straightened in surprise. "Your accent! What's happened to it?"

"Mm? Oh, that. Well," the kid's grin turned into a smirk. "Pr'fess'r Snape started teachin' me a long time ago t' disguise how I talk, so's no one realises my speech patterns match Uncle Hagrid's." Lee's eyebrows shot up as he listened to the difference in the boy's pronunciation.

"The Dungeon Bat taught you that?"

"Brilliant! Perhaps we've been-"

"-underestimating the greasy git-"

"-all this time!"

Lee huffed and finally pushed his way into the compartment. "Well, since those two aren't going to shut up any time soon to pass around introductions, hi. My name's Lee Jordan."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Harry Potter."

Freezing in the middle of a handshake, Lee blinked at him. "...Oh. I guess that explains the secrecy."

Across from them, Rachel snorted. "Only just picked that up, did you? See Roger, this is why you don't want to go into Gryffindor - they've got a well-deserved reputation for charging in without thinking."

"And Hufflepuffs don't?" The other boy in the compartment asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Noting the similar hair color and facial features, Lee took a wild guess and assumed the two were siblings.

"Only if there's a friend of ours in danger. Rest of the time, we're perfectly willing to do risk assessment before charging anywhere."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Harry added, smiling. He suddenly blinked, brows furrowing, before a look of dawning realization spread across his face.

"You alright, Harry?" Roger asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just figured out something that Uncle Hagrid's mentioned before, is all."

-Wild-

No one cheered louder when Harry was sorted into Hufflepuff than Hagrid, not even Professor Sprout. McGonagall and Dumbledore both seemed a bit disappointed, though the former still gave him a congratulatory pat on the shoulder whereas the latter took a bit longer to get over his surprise.

Rachel, whom he'd known for three years and shared a love of animals with, welcomed him to the table of Badgers along with her little brother Roger and just about everyone else nearby. Excited to be surrounded by so many new faces, Harry spent the rest of the Welcoming Feast with a massive grin on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Declaration: I. Never. Abandon_. ** _Anything._**

Chapter 6

Humming to himself, Harry trotted up the stairs with a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. It hadn't taken long at all for Filch to agree to let the boy start helping out with a particular chore twice a week, claiming it was for Mrs. Norris's sake alone. Harry knew better, though - knew that anyone who treated the old caretaker with respect would get quiet favors in return as a sign of his gratitude.

Finally reaching the third floor, the boy turned towards his destination, and caught a flicker of platinum blonde from the corner of his eye.

"You don't have to hide in the shadows from me, y'know," he called out cheerfully. A moment later, a rather disgruntled Malfoy stepped into view, flanked as always by Crabbe and Goyle. Harry couldn't help but be reminded of Tzental's descriptions of South American rootwailers: magical birds that always went about in trios, with two of the drab females protecting a brightly colored male at all times.

"Just what do you think you're doing up here, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.

"Visiting Fluffy."

"Vis-" The blonde boy blinked. "Who in Merlin's name is 'Fluffy'?"

"An old friend of mine! You lot can come meet him, if you want." With that, Harry continued on to his destination. It only took a few paces forward before he heard the hesitant footsteps of the Slytherins following after him, and he grinned. Ever since the Welcome Feast, when Malfoy tried to gain Harry's friendship by belittling muggleborns like Roger, he'd felt unsettled by the other boy, and determined to do something to show him how to _properly_ gain a friend. Showing off one of his favorite pets seemed like a good way to start, even if other students weren't supposed to go anywhere near Fluffy.

Reaching the locked door, Harry pulled out the key Filch had given him, and could practically feel the surprise of the boys behind him. Then the door was open and Fluffy was waking up, and Harry didn't have time to spare them a second thought.

"Hi Fluffy!" He beamed, laughing as all three heads crowded forward to lick him at once. "Yes, I brought your dinner, easy now, there's plenty for all of you-" Eventually, he got the Cerberus to calm down, and turned to invite the Slytherin boys in for a proper introduction.

Instead, he saw that the doorway was deserted, with only the pungent whiff of urine present for some reason. Shrugging, Harry opened up his sack to start pulling out steaks.

-Wild-

"Mister Potter, remain after class."

Waving on his concerned housemates, Harry waited patiently beside Professor Snape's desk while the man arranged the bottled potions that various students had handed in at the end of the lesson. Soon enough, the professor finished, and gave him a measured look.

"I don't suppose you would have any knowledge concerning just why Misters Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all barged into my office last evening, screaming about how you nearly fed them to a three-headed monster, would you?"

Harry's grin grew a tad sheepish. "They followed me when I went to feed Fluffy, and I thought I'd invite them in t' meet him, but they disappeared instead."

"I see. In future, Mister Potter, bear in mind that there is good reason you are the _only_ student who has permission to enter the beast's abode. Just because he treats you as a friend does not mean the same courtesy will be extended to others who enter with you."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry, sir - I won't let anyone else get close to him."

"Good. Off with you then, Wild Child, and do see if you can actually hand in a legible homework assignment next class."

Chuckling, Harry nodded, and headed out of the Potions classroom.

"What did Professor Snape want, Harry?" Roger asked as soon he stepped out into the hallway. The rest of the Hufflepuff first years were gathered close by as well, looking concerned.

"Hm? Oh, he just wanted to make sure my next assignment's written legibly - guess my quillwork could stand a bit of improvement..." As the muggleborn students nodded in commiseration, and those who'd grown up in magical households promised to help out, Harry hid a smile.

-Wild-

"Doing alright today, firsties?" Several positive replies rang out in response to Cedric's greeting, Harry and Justin Finch-Fletchley scooting apart on the floor so the grinning third year could crouch down in their study circle. "So, what's the subject matter this evening?"

"Charms research," Susan Bones piped up. She and two other girls were going through assorted books to find relevant subject matter, marking the pages and then handing them off to three of the boys. They then actually read the passages, taking detailed notes which were handed off to Harry, Justin, and Hannah Abbott, who organized the lot into a ready-made guide from which they'd all write their essays.

"Rather efficient system here, I must say," Cedric mused after a few moments of watching them. "But hopefully you all know the warnings about having essays that are _too_ alike, yeah?"

"We know, Cedric, don't worry."

"Yeah, Professor Sprout made sure to tell us not to go copying each other's work."

"And the Prefects reminded us, too!"

"Good to hear," the older boy grinned, before focusing his attention on Harry. "I passed your questions on to Eckridge, and she said there's no reason we can't have a Quidditch Field Day next weekend for folks who aren't on the teams. We'll have to ask around to see if the other Houses want to participate, but so far it seems like the idea is a go, kiddo."

"That's great! I can talk to the Weasley twins about getting some Gryffindors to come, and Sammy Argentfield about the Ravenclaws, and-"

"Harry," Cedric interrupted, "How is it, we're barely two months into the semester, and you already have friends from all corners of the school?"

The boy shrugged with a smile. "Just lucky timing, I suppose."


End file.
